Wireless networks and wireless access points may provide users of internet-enabled devices with efficient and/or widespread access to a variety of network resources. To facilitate a quick and seamless connection to a wireless network, a computing device may store the configuration details of the network after connecting to the network for the first time. The device may then periodically distribute requests that enable the device to automatically re-connect to the network when re-entering the network's range.
Unfortunately, automatically attempting to connect to known wireless networks may leave computing devices vulnerable to network attacks. For example, conventional network security systems may fail to provide any reliable and/or trusted techniques for computing devices to verify the legitimacy or identity of a wireless network. As a result, an attacker may configure a malicious device (e.g., a so-called WIFI PINEAPPLE) to mimic the credentials of a wireless network known to a computing device after intercepting a request by the device to connect to the network. The malicious device may then connect the device to an illegitimate wireless network that appears to be the known network. Furthermore, many users of internet-enabled devices may not be aware of the risks of such network attacks, much less solutions for protecting their devices against these attacks. The instant disclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for improved systems and methods for detecting network security deficiencies on endpoint devices.